Movies playing this week and what critics think

New movies include "The Glass Castle" and the "Nut Job" sequel, plus reviews and information on other movies playing in theaters and various venues.

Compiled by Susan Eastman

REVIEWS

“Atomic Blonde” (action thriller, R, 115 minutes, reviewed by Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service). Charlize Theron stars in this violently stylish spy flick, a cool bit of eye candy with incredible stunts and a killer soundtrack. The story about an ‘80s agent sent to Berlin to retrieve key microfilm falters, though, with a second hour that drags into dullness. ** 1/2

"Baby Driver": (action, R, 113 minutes, reviewed by Richard Roeper, The Chicago Sun-Times). Edgar Wright's "Baby Driver," about a savant of a getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) working for a criminal mastermind (Kevin Spacey), crackles with originality and dark humor and teems with perfectly timed action sequences. If you see this movie and tell me you didn't have a great time, we're going to have to talk about your idea of a great time. ****

"The Big Sick": (romantic comedy, R, 119 minutes, reviewed by Roeper). In a fictionalized version of real events in his life, Kumail Nanjiani plays a comedian whose new girlfriend (Zoe Kazan) falls ill and goes into a medically induced coma. Funny and smart and wise and silly, it is without a doubt one of the best romantic comedies I have seen in a long time. ****

"The Dark Tower": (sci-fi action, PG-13, 94 minutes, reviewed by Roeper). As the Man in Black, Matthew McConaughey is supposed to send chills down your spine, but he's nothing but a preening, one-dimensional goof. That's just one of the many unfortunate elements in this Stephen King adaptation plagued by washed-out cinematography, mediocre special effects and stilted dialogue. *

“Despicable Me 3”: (animated, PG, 90 minutes, reviewed by Walsh). This sequel relies on pre-established audience familiarity with the characters (reformed villain Gru and his family, yellow Minions) and universe of the franchise, and then just throws subplots on top of subplots. Only the flimsiest of narrative threads stitch together the shallow stories, including a twin brother for Gru. It’s wacky, but somehow dull. *½

"Detroit": (historical drama, R, 143 minutes, reviewed by Roeper). Arriving almost exactly 50 years since the Detroit riots of 1967, Kathryn Bigelow's "Detroit" is a searing, pulse-pounding, shocking and deeply effective dramatic interpretation of events in and around the Algiers Motel, where police tortured, abused and assaulted a dozen "suspects," murdering three of them. ****

"Dunkirk": (war drama, PG-13, 106 minutes, reviewed by Roeper). Christopher Nolan's faithful and deeply respectful retelling of one of the most pivotal battles in World War II is a gripping, deeply involving and unforgettable film that ranks among the best war movies of the decade. ****

“The Emoji Movie”: (comedy, PG, 86 minutes, reviewed by Walsh). For a film that wants to imagine the world inside smart phones, this story just feels so unimaginative and low-stakes. It’s tied too closely to the way we use smartphones to create a transporting, wild new world. Will a guy use the right emoji to woo a girl? This movie could not be more meh. *

“The Glass Castle”: (memoir, PG-13, 127 minutes, reviewed by Walsh). Jeanette Walls’ blockbuster chronicle of her unconventional and destitute childhood with dysfunctional dreamers for parents here feels compressed or picked over. But it eventually comes into focus, with the message of fully accepting who you are, where you come from, and what made you. ***

"The Hero": (comedy drama, R, 96 minutes, reviewed by Roeper). This low-key charmer stars Sam Elliott as a variation on himself, a faded former star of Western movies and TV shows prompted to re-engage with life after receiving some bad medical news. What a treat it is to see the beloved veteran actor in a lead role at this stage of his career, and having so much fun with it. ***

“Kidnap”: (thriller, R, 82 minutes, reviewed by Walsh). Halle Berry stars as a mom who is fast and furious as she pushes her minivan and psyche to the limit to save her young son from abductors. But this is a shallow, extremely dumb script, with no suspense or tension at all and many opportunities for interesting twists squandered along the way. *

"Lady Macbeth" (drama, R, reviewed by Gary Thompson, The Philadelphia Inquirer). Newcomer Florence Pugh makes a startling debut in this story, very loosely inspired by Shakespeare, about a young woman (Pugh) in 1865 England who rebels violently when she's forced to marry an older man. ***

"Maudie" (biography, PG-13, 117 minutes, reviewed by Roeper). Treated as an outcast, a fisherman's housekeeper (Sally Hawkins) in Nova Scotia becomes something of a celebrity for her paintings. This is one of the most beautiful, life-affirming, uplifting movies of the year, capable of moving us to tears of appreciation for getting to know the title subject. *** 1/2

“The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature”: (animated, PG, 91 minutes, reviewed by Walsh) This unexpectedly radical, if otherwise rote, sequel is a film of excesses and extremes. From an orgiastic festival of nuts to violent mayhem, it’s a relentless melee as whirling-dervish rodents battle ham-fisted humans over the sanctity of their land and the dark side of capitalism. **

“Spider-Man: Homecoming”: (superhero action, PG-13, 133 minutes, reviewed by Walsh). This latest reboot of the beloved comic-book character (played by Tom Holland) is fun and fresh, largely because it’s not an origin story, but a real, John-Hughes-esque high-school movie. There are numerous story elements and memorable characters plus eye-popping spectacle, but the film also finds room for small, funny asides and moments that make it an addictively rich, idiosyncratic and re-watchable movie. ***

"War for the Planet of the Apes": (sci-fi action, PG-13, 133 minutes, reviewed by Roeper). Vengeful after a human attack on their compound, Caesar (Andy Serkis, brilliant and heartbreaking) and his ape allies go on a mission to take out the officer responsible (Woody Harrelson). The result is a war movie more serious and much darker than most big-budget midsummer blockbusters. And a whole lot more captivating. ***½

"Wonder Woman": (fantasy/action-adventure, PG-13, 141 minutes, reviewed by Roeper). Director Patty Jenkins' origin story is packed with heart and empathy, and we have the endearing lead performance of Gal Gadot to thank for that. It's a fully realized, three-dimensional characterization of a superhero that has never gotten her due — until now. ***½